Bell scores three TDs in Cadets win
Nick Bell ran for over 200 yards with two touchdowns and intercepted a pass for another score as Hilton used a strong second quarter to pull away from Spencerport 34-20 in high school football.
On Hilton's first possession of the game, Bell scampered off a cutback for a 43-yard run to the one yard line before taking it in for the score on the next play giving his team a 7-0 lead. The Rangers came right back to tie the game on David Snowden's 59-yard touchdown run.
The Cadets countered late in the first quarter. Bell ran back the kickoff 39-yards before quarterback Jordan VanSlooten and wide receiver Tyler Endres hooked up on two pass plays - the first a 50-yarder - for another score. The extra point failed and Hilton led 13-6.
Early in the second quarter, Spencerport took their only lead of the game as Snowden, on fourth down, ran through the secondary for 39-yards and a touchdown putting the Rangers up 14-13. Hilton then scored on its next two possessions to pull away. Bell had a 31-yard run to the Ranger 11-yard line before VanSlooten found tight end Zach Lockwood in the end zone. The two-point conversion failed, giving the Cadets a 19-14 lead. Then, with :22 left in the first half, Bell tacked on a 29 yard TD run as the Cadets took a 26-14 lead into the locker room.
The Rangers scored the only points of the third quarter as quarterback Kyle Muir found Sean Simpson for a 30 yard catch and run for a score to pull Spencerport to within six points.
Spencerport got two more chances to tie the game or pull ahead in the fourth quarter, but went three-and-out on the first try and, with 1:57 left, Hilton's Bell picked off a third down pass attempt and ran it in for the score. A two-point conversion run by Al Lenhart made the final score 34-20 Hilton.
"On some carries, I wasn't even touched for five yards, so the offensive line did a great job with their downfield blocks," said Bell. About the interception Bell said, "They had already thrown two pitches my way so I knew they were going to throw another one - I just waited on it."
Bell ran for 209 yards on thirty-four carries while VanSlooten was 9-16 for 188 passing. Snowden had a big game himself with 136 rushing yards in the first quarter and 164 total on 19 carries. Simpson caught seven passes for 112 yards and Muir was 15-24 for 157 yards. Hilton, with just three returning starters from one year ago, is off to a 2-0 start while the Rangers fell to 0-2.